A Single Orchid
by Doree
Summary: I couldn't let it happen.  I couldn’t lose.  Not after everything that’s happened in the past couple of weeks, and all that’s at stake in the present.  I wouldn't let her win...
1. Chapter 1

**Well, it's been a while since I've written anything…I have to admit I was a bit rusty at first, but I got it done. This is something I've been cooking up in my head since 'Perfection' if you can remember that dreadful story I wrote a while back. Hopefully, I'll feel the magic in this fiction; faith is a better word for it. It's almost pointless, and I'm still not sure if I even want to make this more than a one-shot, but I **_**had**_** to put this story to the test. It's been in my head for too long.**

**So after you read this, will you be the coolest person in the word and review it?**

**Your opinions, suggestions, and comments are much appreciated! **

**Much Love,**

**Doree**

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Star.

You know the actual definition of a star is a gaseous mass in space, ranging in size from that of a planet to larger than the Earth's orbit, which generates energy by thermonuclear reactions? Well, according to Doc and his photographic memory, that's what a star is.

Myself, I prefer Timone's sky-theory; that the stars are actually fireflies that flew up and got themselves wedged permanently in some big 'bluish-black thing'. I could so care less about gas burning billions of miles way. When I look up and see chilly, 50 degree starry skies, such as the one I was current gazing at from the top of my bay window's roof, adjectives tend to jump out at me; ones like eternal, tranquil, secretive, and –

"Amazing."

Out the corner of my eye, I saw him turn his head to see my own profile properly. "It -sorry?" he asked, sounding slightly put out. I had interrupted his monologue about medical findings and theories since his death with my amazement and obsessive eye-goggling at the night sky. "I would hardly call an unborn organism being enveloped by its host twin 'amazing', Susannah."

"Ew." I said, turning my own head to face him and wrinkling my nose. "No, I was talking about – never mind. I wasn't listening, I'm sorry." I added guiltily. It wasn't that his facts were boring, they just…well, okay, they were.

I'm just not into the whole medical career track like he is. It was too technical and…_medical_. You know what I mean?

Instead of sighing exasperatingly like I thought him to do, Jesse grinned warmly with amusement dancing in his intelligent gaze. He adjusted himself on his side, lent his head against his propped up fist, and brought his other arm around to bring me in closer to him. "No, it is I who should be apologizing, _querida_. I do not mean to ramble on about theories and discussions from my classes;" he said before planting a kiss on top of my head. "I hope I haven't made you endure too much of it?"

"No, it's great, Jesse. It's…very informative." Though I was able to force a small smile, I was definitely unsuccessful when a note of sarcasm was heard tapering off of the last word.

_I am lying through my teeth_, I thought. _He'll see right through that…_

"Oh, good! Then maybe I could talk to you about new beta Thalassemia theory, founded by the late – "

"No, no, _please_? You wouldn't…?" I literally begged, sitting up slightly in the event that I had to take flight into my open bedroom window.

He chuckled as he sat up all the way and supported himself with his hands. "I wouldn't think of it, Susannah."

To match his level change I scrabbled to be up-right again. "Yeah, sure; Bore me to death's more your style. I see how you roll."

Beaming deviously, he leant over and covered my mouth with his own. I shifted over carefully (we were on the roof beneath my window, you know) towards his form so that we weren't a foot and half apart anymore. I snaked my arms around his neck as his hands came obediently to my hips. A bubbly feeling of happiness arose in the pit of my stomach, making me smile against his lips. He, too, stopped to do the same.

And we sat there just basking in each other's company, foreheads resting against the other, eyes closed, and breathing as the stars above us twinkled. For how long, I'm still not sure. But it was long enough for the pair of us to just…reflect; remember what we were to each other a month ago: just a love sick ghost and a female, hormonal teen/Shifter. Our lives couldn't have been more complicated. It was as if we were ducks swimming in a circular pond, trying to follow the other peacefully, (or maybe not so much) when an extremely bored little boy runs over, bends down to pick up, and throw a few rocks at us in an attempt to separate us.

…Three guesses as to that bored little boy was.

Paul threw everything he could at us, and it wasn't until the last curve ball did he realize that he'd been pitching to the totally wrong person; that I never wanted to wear his jersey, and never would. That's not to say that I never _thought_ about it.

I mean, really, what could it have been like? How would Paul act if we did end up together? Would I be different, too? Would I be as happy as I am with Jesse?

Something in the back of my mind told me that I wouldn't be, that I had made the right choice after all. And that was all I needed to know. I didn't need gorgeous by-the-sea houses, BMWs, designer shoes, or any other material thing. I needed trust, loyalty, and dependability. I needed unconditional love.

I realize that that last one might have sounded cheesy, but it's true; I'd rather have absolute and everlasting affection than anything Paul could have given me.

I learned during our adventure back in November to save Jesse that Paul really wasn't a bad guy. Just maybe a bit confused when it came to commitment. I mean, he at least had the decency to pull me aside at the Winter Formal to tell me that he had made a mistake, and that he was sorry for everything that he has put me and Jesse through. I'd even go as far as to say that I owe him.

I mean, who knows? Had it not been for Paul moving into Carmel, I would have never known that I was a Shifter. I would have never known that I could travel backwards into time - well, I didn't know about it at all until he threatened to save Jesse's life at that Mission auction, so I wouldn't have known even with him here. Nevertheless, without him here being the jerk that he was, I would never have been able to bring Jesse's body out of the 1850's for his soul to inhabit, thus, allowing him to live again.

So, yeah, I guess I owe Paul a lot more than I thought I did; I owed him my happiness…

"Susannah…" I blinked a few times, clearing the images from the past. I noticed that Jesse had repositioned ourselves so that he was holding me around my waist, my hand rested lightly on his chest, and my head against the crook of his neck. I tilted my head upwards nudging the bottom of his chin to show I was listening. "What are you thinking about?"

I let out a breath I wasn't even aware I'd been holding. I waited a moment before I pulled away from his embrace and scooted over a few inches to look him in the face. Even though half of his features were thrown into the shadows and the other half in the moonlight, I was still able to see that he was perplexed. But noting the fact that I was serious, he said nothing.

"I was thinking about Paul." I answered quietly; never blinking, shifting around, or looking away. I needed him to know that I could say the name and not hesitate or flinch in doing so, although the sound of it still sent slight shivers down my back.

The eyebrow with the scar rose in question. "Slater? Why, has he – "

Seeing where this was headed, I cut him off. "No, no…he hasn't done anything wrong." But, my saying this only further confused my boyfriend. I breathed in deeply, and exhaled gustily before continuing. "I was just thinking about what happened last month- "

"_Querida_, you don't have to – "

"Wait, Jesse, hear me out." I held up a hand to keep him from prolonging. "Last month was horrible; never knowing what he'd be up to next, or if this new plan was going to come through…"

The memory of a particularly cold November night, a small box containing the Gutierrez's small $2,000 fortune, and Paul's warm lips, lightly kissing mine while we lay in their grass…

I cleared my throat to dismiss the thought. I even shook my head for good measure. I looked at my hands in my lap, and pressed on carefully. "He knew what he was doing. And maybe…maybe that's what _I_ need; structure, organization, and assurance. There could be more I don't know…"

"Susannah, what are you saying?'

"He knew I was a Shifter before I even knew it. He knew we could travel in and out of time any_time_ we wanted – "

"Yes, I know this already, but what does Shifting have to do with your need of assurance, and structure, and – and - ?"

And as if I had just figured out the answer to a particularly difficult problem, I looked up a small smirk playing across my lips. "Lessons!" I blurted out, unable to keep the smile out of my voice; leaning forward a little to emphasize my euphoria.

"L–lessons?" Jesse stammered; he was gob smacked.

Keep 'em on their toes, Ladies…

"Not just any lessons…Shifting Lessons!" I was now grinning like a greedy child, ready to receive their weekly allowance.

"With Slater?" he pointed down, I guess, in prominence. "No, _querida_, no."

"No, Jesse, listen!" I said quietly so that I didn't wake anyone up in the house, and I quickly scooted practically onto his lap, I was so excited about this idea. Once in position, I crossed my legs Indian Style, and said, "There's no way I could learn the stuff on my own."

"Sure there is!" He lifted a hand and dropped it heavily onto my bent knee. "You could always research on the Interpret – "

"The Inter_net _– "

" – or, check out some books from the library." Jesse shrugged innocently.

"I don't even have a library card!" I gapped, shocked at his resourcefulness.

He lent his head in dangerously close to my own, and slowly annunciated the words, "Borrow mine."

He had retorted in a way that it sounded like he had said 'duh!' It was so great, I had to laugh. "No, that's not the _point_! I need **hands on** training."

"Yes, and that's _exactly_ what I'm afraid of; **his** hands **on** you!" Jesse sniggered tiredly, but lowly, mindful of my sleeping fellow house members.

"Jesse? Paul and I are done." I made a sweeping motion with both of my hands, both crossing in front of each other to highlight this point to my devotee. "Done, done, done, done! And he knows that, he swore to me at the dance, you remember!"

"Yes, I do, and that's what I'm worried about – "

Having lost all patience and playfulness, and resorting immediately to the straight-forward. "Aww, Jesse, come on! Why not?" I leant back on my hands to show him I meant business. I'd read in Cosmo before that it was _all in the body language_ and I was using it to my advantage.

"Why do you need my approval as to whom you're choosing to 'hang' with?" He raised both of his eyebrows. "Why not just do what you did previously and take the lessons without my acknowledgement?"

Wh – hey…Low-Blow!

"Ouch." I remarked tonelessly no longer caring to lower my tones, to which he _mhmm'_ed in response just as loudly. "Jesse, I want you with me on this one. I don't want you in the dark, I would like you with me. I want to bore _you_ with Shifter theory." He chuckled at that.

"And…" I drawled playfully, moving around to straddle his lower half. "You don't want me hurt, do you? I mean, wouldn't you feel better knowing that I can take care of myself Shifter style? You know, it's better to have the skills and not need them, than need them and not have them."

"…It would make you happy?" He inquired doubtfully.

"Yep!"

"And you won't drop this?"

"Nope!"

"And if I say no…?"

"Then, you will be in the Dog House for I don't know _how_ long."

His eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes were searching my face for any sign of weakness; for anything that he might use in opposition of my brilliant proposal. I beamed even wider when I saw that he found nothing. I held my breath just in case… but then, he spoke.

"Fine. But, if he touches you – "

"YES!" I whispered loudly, cupping his face in my hands. I began to thank him repeatedly in between kisses, to which he responded, 'mhmm'.

I stopped saying thank you after about the fourth peck, and decided to reward him with a more…friendly kiss. It was going quite nicely, too, until my boyfriend's cell alarm went off.

"Jesse, _turn it off_! My mom will have heard it!" I hissed urgently, poking my head out from behind Jesse's shoulder, I tried to get a glimpse of my bedroom door through my window. If Mom or Andy did catch us up here, we'd be toast. We'll I'LL be toast. Jesse will just have to assume a new name. I mean, they like him, but I doubt they'd be too happy if they saw us. You know…_alone_. They only know that I started _socially_ dating Jesse a month ago. They don't know we've been seeing each other _officially_ sense my junior year.

So, do you smell what I am cookin' here?

When I saw that there were no signs of an intrusion yet, I glanced back down at my partner, who, thankfully, had turned off the reiterating beeping. He raised his head, and turned the flip up towards me so that I could see the blue-glowing digital clock. It read 12:01 am.

"Friday. _Feliz cumpleaños, Querida_; Happy Birthday." he had just finished saying this when his cell phone gave a shrill, high pitched warning beep. He sighed. "And that would be my cue."

He made to get up, but me being the quick thinker that I am, stopped him. "No," I groaned. "You're leaving? Already?"

He laughed warmly, and then planted another small kiss on top of my head as he stood up to go. "Yes, we both have class in the morning, remember?"

I felt like all the getty and bubbly air that kept me afloat for the past few minutes had suddenly gone flat.

School…I forgot about that.

"Oh. Yeah." was my intelligent remark. I looked back at my bedroom window, disappointedly.

Apparently satisfied with my answer, Jesse turned and he quickly, and quietly, shuffled towards the latter that he had gotten from the garage below us. Come to think of it, that's really bad; Mom really should lock the garage door. But, thank God it's only Jesse who sneaks into the garage to grab the latter to come up to my room every night, just to get in a few extra Us Hours in.

He had already descended a few steps, when I turned back around. I clambered over to where his head was still visible above the roof gable to kiss him one more time. "I love you."

"I love you, too, querida. I will see you tonight. If you see him at school, or he arrives at the party before I do, _do not ask Slater about giving you lessons_ – don't even acknowledge his presence." He added when he saw that I was about to protest. Pleased with himself, he allowed a half smile to appear on his face before stepping down the rest of the steps to the bottom. Once he was back on the ground, he looked back up at me, raised a hand, and moved it slightly in a 'goodbye'.

"Jerk." I chuckled loud enough for him to hear at the bottom. I saw his perfect teeth glisten in the moon's light as he pivoted on his heal, and headed for his car off the side of the road (he parked it their so that he wouldn't disturb my family).

I shivered as I watched him get into his car; I never realized how chilly it was until he had left my side.

I waited for him to drive around the corner that would remove him from my sight before I looked back up into the night – or now, I guess, morning – sky.

Stars.

Thinking of Jesse and his scientific logic, I wrinkled my nose and said, "Definitely fireflies."

Smiling to myself I tip-toed back to my Bay Window, jiggled the shutter up, and scrambled through. And never changing my clothes, I crawled gratefully underneath my warm, pink covers. I fell asleep before my head even hit the pillows.

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**Simple enough? Tell me what you think of it in a review! Depending on the long, many, and suggestive reviews should determine if I should and when the next update could be. Hehe, I'm a stinker, eh?**

**Lol, thanks for reading, anyway. **

**Doree**


	2. Chapter 2

**Eh, okay, so because of all the cool reviews I received for this story…I've decided to continue with this story. Yay, goody! Lol, thank you so much for those of you who review before…it made me very excited to write chapter 2. I didn't get it finished quite as quickly as I wanted it to, but…it's here? Haha.**

_**Laura**_**: Lol, thank you! I'm glad that you found enough interest in it to check it out!**

_**Venus**_**: God, I love you…seriously. I was so excited to see a long and descriptive, **_**constructive**_** review; you have no idea. I think that's the first one of that nature that I've received…like, ever. So, THANK YOU! …Hopefully there are less mistakes? **

**Thanks again to all those who've reviewed! I can't tell you how happy it made me…**

**But, anyway: time to get to the story, yeah?**

**Happy Reading,**

**Doree**

I opened my eyes to see my room bathed in a midnight-blue light, compliments (probably) of the silver moon shinning through my closed bay window. I sat up slowly and smoothly to see the rest of my quarters properly. I smiled a little, feeling gitty with the unorthodoxy atmosphere of the room.

The mood of the space was different from how I had come to know it; it was no longer my place with warm pinks and golds. Instead, it betrayed me with cool, mature coloring; Blues, grays, blacks, and silvers surrounded me instead. It was peculiar…mysterious, one might say.

Wanting to walk around the room to observe the changes, I grabbed a hand full of comforter in front of me, and pulled it away from my form, revealing my legs embodied by a beautiful, white silk dress. My jaw dropped in awe as I picked up and fingered the end of the gown between my index and thumb finger. I grinned happily after I had smoothed down the wrinkles I had made in the fabric, swung my feet over the side of my bed, and stood before at it.

I shivered as a chill ran down my spine, and unconsciously, I wrapped my arms around myself, determined to remain as warm as possible. I blinked a few times in bewilderment as to how I had gotten so cold that quickly. The thought of sliding back underneath my sapphire sheets came to mind, however, something within me objected.

_Look to the window_, it recommended.

Trusting my instincts (as they usually never failed me), I slowly turned my head to the suggested area. Gray hued curtains billowed in from the outside wind; the window had been opened.

Confused now more than ever, I dropped my arms back to their sides, and my way slowly, but surely towards my window. Once in front of it I placed a hand on either side of the windowpane and peered through the flowing curtains, while the hem of my white dress danced playfully around the back of my calves.

The sight before me befuddled my mind's eye; the scene was definitely deceiving. The world had evolved over night from one full of color and adventure into one of bleakness, death, and despair. The thriving trees that had been that of palm were replaced with decaying conifers with a leeching air of obscurity. Grass that had once been green with renewal was no more, and instead swapped with horrid gray perishing pastures as far as the eye could see. The fog revolving in circles on the ground definitely did not improve the image of this new and very disturbing environment. The moon that I had assumed had helped the blue shadow glow inside of my room, no longer shone silver; it had become a black orb oddly set in the hoary starless-sky.

An emotion stronger than depression enveloped me entirely. _Was the world ever going to be cheerful again? _ I thought to myself.

But, just as I was about to turn my back on the disheartening vista for good, a dark figure stepped out beneath the equally sinister aura of a tree worthy of death, and into my view. Immediately my discouraging frame of mind was slightly penetrated with a small ray of light; Jesse's outline loomed into sight beneath my roof gable.

I beamed at the sight of his striking features, and my heart swelled in adoration for him. He did not smile back at me, but there was something about his presence in this repulsive and upsetting new world that made my own a bit brighter.

Still unsmiling, he made a notion with his hand to imply that we should meet, though, it was one that suggested that I should come down to him, rather than him up to me.

My smile faltered, somewhat, disgruntled at his unlikely behavior. Despite this, I placed my bare foot onto the pillows of my bay window seat to push myself through the windowpane, and onto the roof. However, I froze in mid-duck when whispers began issuing from the other side of my bathroom door.

The noise was eerie in a beautifully dodgy manner. It confined me in a way that it mesmerized me into slowly retrieving my foot from the outside, and placing it back onto the floor. I took an unplanned step towards my restroom, then another, and then another until I was facing the entrance. I tilted my head cautiously to the side, skeptical if I should go in. Taking a deep breath, I pushed the door open entirely with the tips of my fingers.

As soon as I stepped onto the cold tile, my heart leaped in fear, for the whispers had grown to a crescendo. As I looked left and right for the source of the noises, I groped around behind me for the door lest I needed to quickly get back into my bedroom. Nevertheless, my search was pacified when my gaze was directed to my right and to the mirror above my sink.

Never blinking, I reached behind my back to take hold of the door into my other hand so that I could slowly make my way towards the whispering mirror. Once I stopped in front of it, the patronizingly hushed voices vanished, and left me to stare at my own reflection. Feeling immensely embarrassed at the fact that I was afraid to see my likeness, I smirked sheepishly, and made to turn away. Except a second glance was made, and to my utter shock and amazement, I not emerald green eyes staring back at me, but a golden-amber instead. I lent in closer to get a better look; my mind had not betrayed me.

I reached out before me to touch the tawny stare; my reflection reached out to touch my jade. I knitted my eyebrows in puzzlement; my mirror image smirked deviously. I blanched and took more than a few steps back in fright, and the air suddenly became threateningly thick with trepidation.

My breathing quickened, while my eyes widened to their fullest extent when my reflection defied all laws of logic and nature by literally climbing out of the mirror from the wall, dressed in a black silk gown, and never making a sound.

Quietly, she drifted over to where I stood, trembling against the opposite wall until we were a mere foot away from each other. She tilted her head to one side, and pinned me with a nonchalant stare with her amber eyes, while mine were full of immaturity, I was sure.

After what seemed like several minutes of the mirror-Suze searching my features, she straightened up and leered knowingly, all the while holding up between us her up-turned palms. I lowered my gaze to the identical hands and her palms seemed to have produced many small beads of golden light. The droplets of radiance slowly began coiling upward in a tornado-like fashion, and then began running through each other, in turn, creating a very detailed shape. Once they found their correct position, the beads illuminated magnificently, even so that I had to raise a hand over my eyes to counter the luster. As soon as the blinding light disappeared I lowered my hand to find a beautiful thriving orchid levitating half an inch from the mirror-Suze's hand.

Mesmerized by its beauty, I reached out greedily to capture it in my own, but my counter part had snatched the flow away. Disappointed and stung, I averted my gaze back up to see her own dancing in twisted amusement. Her look seemed to cackle and mock me, saying, "Naughty, naughty…" in a sing-song-y nature.

Beaming in a smile so similar but so uncharacteristic to my own, the Suze in the black dress, took my hand in her free hand and lead me out of the bathroom, and to the bay window seating.

Instinctively, I turned around to glance down where I had seen Jesse last standing. Sure enough, he had not moved from his spot and was still looking up at the window, none smiling.

I saw out of the corner of my eye that my lively imitation of had followed my stare, and a moment later, she chuckled darkly. Startled by her behavior I turned back around, to ask her why her actions were so vulgar. However, as soon as I opened my mouth, my question was forgotten the moment I saw that the orchid had been set down between us, standing proud and upright as if it had roots planting it to the ground.

My replica broke my trance when she placed a hand gently over my heart. I stopped dead, frozen from shock and slight fear of the touch. I followed her arm up to her face to see that her eyes were full of deep meaning. Then with her other hand, she placed it over her own heart. There was a slight instant when something – a spark, a surge of energy, a tantalizing jolt of iciness, of something – past through my entire body, then faltered as if the split second hadn't happened at all.

My opposite's amber-eyes glittered for a moment as she removed both of her hands from their current spots and met each other clasp amid the two of us, proceeded to unclasp them and made and arch-like covenant over the radiant orchid; the flower glowed exceptionally dazzling the moment she did. Then she held out both hands palm up, in a gesture that suggested, _take them_. Cautiously, I obliged.

Immediately a burning white-hot sensation clawed at my insides. I gritted my teeth, and shut my eyelids so tightly that tiny lights began popping in front of them, visible even in the glimmering orchid's rays between us; we were raising from the window seat and up towards the ceiling with the flower. Wind whipped around us ominously, blowing hair into the other's and dress hems billowing after another.

Then suddenly it had become too much; the roaring inside of my head came a crescendo so unmanageable that I cried out, and the light omitting from the plant burst, sending us waves of wind powerful enough to send me flying across the room had it not been for the blossom's unfathomable hold.

And just as suddenly, I was falling…falling….

I bolted upright again, I gasping for air as if I had just come up from a deep swim. My clothes were sticking to my body from the cold sticky sweat currently running down my body. Breathing hard I brushed my matting hair out of my face, and glanced down; my covers were twisted immensely in knots and tangles. Slowly my breathing had returned to its regular pace and so I took this as my cue to clean myself up a bit. Snatching fistfuls of sheets I ripped them away, and I sliding back down on my hard wooden floor, I made my way toward the bathroom. Once inside, I turned on the lights and rinsed my face with cold water.

Hey, give me a break; I was still weirded out by that whole scene. You would be, too, if a duplicate of yourself climbed out of a mirror, The Ring-style, materialize a flower known to be a symbol of death out of thin air, then send you writhing and reeling in pain in mid-air.

My mind was still racking the dream even after about 3 minutes of the rinsing my face, and not daring to look at my reflection. Finally deciding that I had washed my visage enough, I flicked the switch and shuffled back into my room with the full intention of returning back to my bed to catch a few more Z's. But, I couldn't help notice but to take a quick peek outside of my window just to be sure that everything was, in fact, normal.

After it passed my inspection, I continued my walk towards my bed when two things happened at once that made me stop dead in mid-step: the time on my digital had filtered into 12:07; and an orchid incased in a glass sphere on top of my end table materialized in a gold shimmer.

A breath caught inside my throat as immediate thoughts, questions, and theories laced through my brain.

_Had it really only been six minutes since Jesse had left, and I drifted off? The dream seemed to have lasted for hours…_

_Was it a dream? The orchid from it is incased in a glass sphere, here, in reality! – _

I continued to bombard myself with inquiries such as these, as I vigilantly and fearfully slid back under my covers to shift on my side, and stare at the glass-incased wonder until sleep captured my senses once more.

**Oi, not as good, light, and fun as the first chapter, eh? Ah, well, I had to get this one up because it'll be important in the future, and there was a load of information that I needed to get out ASAP before the story starts to **_**really**_** pick up.**

**Tell me how you liked it, please? It'll mean soooo much to moi…**

**Much Love,**

**Doree**


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